One Step Closer
by GreenPaw
Summary: Many believe Ladybug is blind when it comes to Chat Noir and how wonderful he'd be as a potential boyfriend. One such person in particular is Rena Rouge, who takes the opportunity to encourage the heroine to take a deeper look at the man who could be so much more than just her crimefighting partner. (One shot)


_Over the Christmas / New Year break I haven't done much writing and decided I should probably post something since I'm normally pretty prolific in my updates and don't want to disappoint my readers, so here's a one shot I wrote a while ago and have now polished into something much more fun. I hope you enjoy!_

* * *

Ladybug leaned her weight back on her arms as she stared up at the stars, swinging her legs from the roof edge as she listened to Rena Rouge chatter. There was a certain level of comfort in spending time with her best friend in costume. The part-time fox superhero was much more serious and somewhat giddy in her babble with Ladybug as they sat waiting for something to happen.

Chat Noir was out of town and so Ladybug had gotten Rena Rouge to fill the gap while he was away for the weekend. So far, nothing had happened but it was a regular patrol night, meaning it was a good excuse to let Alya play superhero for a few hours.

But then Rena asked a question Ladybug hadn't been expecting. "Why don't you give Chat Noir a chance?"

Ladybug blinked as she turned to look at her friend. "A chance at what?"

"Dating."

A snort escaped Ladybug. "He's not my type."

"Are you sure about that? He adores you."

"It's not mutual. There's someone else I want." She didn't mention that said crush had long ago made it clear that his own interests lay elsewhere. Not that he'd even known she wanted him that way. Imbecile that she was around Adrien Agreste, Marinette had completely blown her chance at telling him how she really felt.

Rena Rouge seemed to pick up on her melancholy mood. "Let me guess, you're suffering from unrequited love too."

"Too?" Ladybug's nose crinkled in confusion. "Who else is suffering from it?"

Rolling her eyes, Rena slapped her own forehead. "Chat Noir. Geez, Ladybug stick with the conversation."

"Sorry," The scarlet clad heroine muttered as she looked away from her best friend. "But Chat Noir is not boyfriend material."

"Why do you think that?" Rena Rouge began ticking off fingers. "From what I can see he's loyal, dependable and willing to concede to what you want. Perfect traits for a good boyfriend. Plus, he practically worships you."

"And therein lies the problem. He doesn't see the woman behind the mask."

"So, take it off."

"You know I can't. We have to protect our identities."

"Pfft. You know the rest of our identities, why is it so vital to keep it hidden from Chat Noir? If anything, he's the one person who should know and vice versa."

"It's too dangerous. Hawkmoth could come after us in our private lives if he found out."

"Yeah, and how would you protect each other if you have no clue to your true identities?" Rena crossed her arms and sat back to study Ladybug. "I think you don't want him to know who you are. You're afraid he'd pursue you in real life and you wouldn't know how to respond."

"Don't be ridiculous. I'd brush him off as I do now."

"Maybe, maybe not. What if he's super-hot without the mask on?"

Ladybug glared at Rena an incredulous look. "That's highly doubtful."

"Have you seen his bone structure? The guy has the looks of a model."

"Now you're exaggerating."

"No, you're just in denial. Take a really good look at your partner next time you're together. I think if you observed him closely you'd realise he is a highly desirable dude."

Shaking her head, Ladybug raked her fringe from her masked eyes. "You're crazy, Rena."

"Just do it, Ladybug. I dare you. Take a deeper look at Chat Noir. You might actually like what you see."

* * *

Strangely enough, Rena Rouge's words had echoed in Marinette's mind for the rest of the week. It was like the very idea had been inserted into her brain on high repeat and wouldn't go away until she explored the possibility. Not that speaking further to Rena was going to fix it. Oh no, she suspected only a meeting with her partner would do that.

But in all honesty, what would be different? She'd known Chat Noir for years. They had practically grown up together. She knew what he looked like, up close and personal. How many times had the guy ended up over or under her in some attempt to save her from a variety of threats? Ladybug could probably pick out Chat Noir's exact eye colour from a paint selection chart with no problem. So how could she possibly be missing something as Rena claimed?

With a futile shrug of her shoulders, Marinette changed out of her work clothes and into a pair of jeans with a loose knitted pink top. It didn't really matter what she wore, once transformed no one would know anyway. Still, the girl liked to dress for comfort and practicality in case she had to drop her transformation for some bizarre reason. Slipping on her ballet flats, she called out to Tikki and morphed into Ladybug.

Living alone meant that Ladybug could walk through her own apartment in costume and not have to worry about freaking anyone out. She switched off the lights, with the exception of the coffee table lamp, and exited via her balcony.

The moon was high and almost full meaning the night was illuminated by more than just the city lights. Ladybug bound her way across the rooftops, hurrying in the hope that it would kill her sudden sense of anxiety. Why was she nervous? This was just Chat Noir. Rena Rouge was getting her to second guess herself. Nothing was going to be different.

As expected, Chat Noir was already at their rendezvous. His tall frame painted by the moonlight as he moved. Pacing as usual. It was like the man couldn't stand still. As she neared, Ladybug took in the expanse of his broad shoulders which tapered down to his narrow hips. While he remained lean, Chat Noir was all muscle and sinew. Heck, he even moved like his namesake, slinky and agile.

Turning mid stride, Chat Noir's cat ears pivoted to face her as his eyes lifted in acknowledgement. "Good evening, milady."

Familiarity had her smiling. Nothing was different here. Rena Rouge was wrong. Chat Noir's grin didn't make her heart pound or her knees tremble. There was comfort in seeing him. A sense of ease and contentment fell over her. "How was your trip away?"

Chat Noir shrugged. "It was okay. A little boring since it was for work."

"Oh, so it wasn't a romantic getaway," Ladybug teased.

At that he snorted. "You weren't with me, so no."

"Forever the flirt," she said with a shake of her head as she poked him playfully on the arm.

"You haven't told me to stop." He reminded, cocking his head to the side as he shot her a roguish grin.

"I suppose not." It hadn't been something that she'd consciously considered.

The teasing glint disappeared from Chat Noir's eyes as he cleared his throat. There was a slight hesitation to his voice as he spoke, "Do you want me to?"

Ladybug paused before him, lifting her chin to meet his eyes as she shuffled her hands behind her back. "Given that you've been doing it for almost eight years, I doubt you'd be able to break the habit."

He quirked a masked eyebrow. "Now you're just challenging me."

Taking a step closer, Ladybug sized him up. "Maybe."

Chat Noir leaned towards her, head lowered to her height. "What do I get if I win?"

"Bragging rights." She smirked.

This time he rolled his eyes. "Hardly worth the effort."

"Well, what is it that you want?"

At that Chat Noir's gaze smouldered. "A kiss."

Ladybug's eyes sparkled with amusement. "From Rena Rouge?"

"Ugh, hardly."

His response had her chuckling. "She's an attractive woman."

"She's also joined at the hip to Carapace."

"Oh, so you've noticed she's attractive." The heroine couldn't resist teasing.

Again, Chat Noir looked unimpressed. "Are you trying to drop me into a whole world of hurt?"

"Not really but you didn't deny it."

The black clad hero crossed his arms, staring at her hard while his tail flicked. "Fine, she's pretty but not my type."

Ladybug couldn't help smirking. "I'm so telling her you think she's pretty when I next see her."

"You wouldn't." He stated, dropping his hands to his side, balling them into fists.

She grinned wider.

"Don't you dare." Chat Noir snapped as he lunged towards her without any real menace.

"Scared of Carapace?" she chortled as she danced away from him.

"No, I could take him but I'd rather him on my side at our next fight."

"Point taken," Ladybug acknowledged with a nod.

"Are you done stirring me up?"

"Meh," she shrugged, "maybe."

Chat Noir tossed back his head and looked to the sky. "Why did I have to fall for the world's most infuriating woman?"

Ladybug found her eyes trailing up the column of his throat, admiring his faint stubble and strong jaw. She scrunched her eyes closed as she became aware of her unintended perusal. Rena Rouge and her stupid suggestions. As Chat Noir dropped his chin, Ladybug let her gaze wander over his face. Sure enough, his features were rather symmetrical and pleasing to look at. It was the feline eyes that made him seem a little less than human.

Curiosity had Ladybug leaning closer to peer at his slit pupils. "Other than being able to see well in the dark, is your eyesight different when transformed?"

Surprise had his masked eyebrows lifting. "My vision is sharper and yes I can see better in the dark, as you mentioned. Why do you ask?"

"I find it intriguing that you take on many feline traits when transformed while I, on the other hand, can't say I gain those of an actual ladybug. It's not like I want to start eating aphids."

He cleared his throat as she continued to study him. "You do climb remarkably well."

"As do you. But you also have the benefit of heightened senses and catlike grace."

Chat Noir's voice was a rasping whisper. "You're graceful as well. The way you move is… elegant."

Ladybug wondered at the sudden change in Chat Noir's tone. Only then did she realise how close she was to him. While studying his unique eyes she'd drawn so near she could feel him exhaling against the exposed skin on her face. Heck, she was even raised up on her toes to get a better look. Lowering to her heels, Ladybug stepped back and out of his personal space.

"Sorry," she uttered while glancing away.

"For what?"

"Getting up in your face."

"You weren't," he quickly countered. "You were merely curious. Is there anything else you want to know about me?"

Ladybug expected a flirty undertone but there was none. Chat Noir was being sincere and he'd also edged a little closer. Cocking her head to the side, she found her gaze going back to his eyes. This time she studied his sclera. "The whites of your eyes, do they feel weird when they change to green?"

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "Do they look strange?"

Stepping towards him, Ladybug reached up to take his chin between her thumb and forefinger, tilting his head down for a better look. "Not really, I guess I'm so used to the way you look that I no longer think about it. To me, this is how you normally appear."

Glancing back to his pupils, Ladybug noticed that they were no longer slits adjusted wide enough for the dark, instead they were almost encompassing his irises. She peered up to the moon, noticing how much light it threw and wondered why his eyes were so dark. He wasn't swept up in the shadows. If anything, she was. Chat Noir's greater height meant she was hidden from the pale moonlight in their current positions.

Sucking in a deep breath, Chat Noir asked, "Do you ever wonder what my real eyes look like?"

Ladybug frowned in thought. "I try not to. Secret identities and all that."

"They're naturally green. The same green that you see."

"An unusual colour," she commented as she tilted her head to the opposite side to take in the emerald tint.

"Just like my mother's."

"Don't drop hints on your personal life, Chat."

"Why? I didn't tell you her name. Nor that she's been missing for nearly a decade."

The hurt in his voice made her pause. Sympathy etched Ladybug's features as she unfurled her fingers and cupped Chat Noir's cheek. "I'm sorry. I didn't realise. I remember you mentioning that she was no longer in your life but I had no idea she was missing."

Chat Noir shrugged and dropped his gaze to the ground. "Finer details, remember."

Letting out a sigh, Ladybug moved to lower her hand but Chat Noir caught it and held it to his face. Her eyes lifted to his as he added, "I want you to know. Everything. I want to share my life with you."

"You know the rules."

"Screw the rules. What about what we want? How long have we got to dance around secret identities before it's okay to know the truth?"

Ladybug dropped her head as she considered what he was asking. It seemed ridiculous that they were still fighting Hawkmoth. That they were no closer to defeating him. They were both adults now, did it really matter anymore?

"I don't have the answers, Chat."

"I know what I want. I want to know you." The conviction in his voice had her lifting her head.

"But you already do, at least to a degree. I'm still me, regardless of the guise."

"Yet I still don't know what you look like outside the mask. I don't know what you do for a living." His voice cracked as he added, "I don't even know your real name."

Sucking in her bottom lip, Ladybug considered what he was silently asking with his eyes. It had been a long time since Chat Noir had interacted with her when unmasked, it was likely her alter ego was nothing but a faded memory to him.

Lowering her hand from his cheek, she held it out in greeting. "My name is Marinette."

Chat Noir swallowed and took her offered hand, gripping it tight. "Adrien. My name is Adrien."

Ladybug's fingers tightened on Chat Noir's. There was no way he could possibly be her Adrien. Was there? Scrutinising his features, the heroine felt her heart speed up at the familiar lines. At the slope of his nose, the fullness of his lips, the kindness of his eyes. Could she have been so blind all this time?

Surely not. Chuckling to herself, Ladybug decided she'd let Rena Rouge's suggestion take up too much space in her own head. This was Chat Noir, not Adrien Agreste. Yet as she looked back up at him there was no smile on his face. Those green eyes were inspecting her features with utmost precision.

"Dupain-Cheng?" he rasped.

Blue eyes widened in shock as she uttered, "Agreste?"

They both blushed deeply and looked away with sudden shyness but neither let the other's hand go. Ladybug turned her gaze to their joined hands. "I guess we should start our patrol."

Chat Noir's fingers eased off slightly but still held her hand. "Does it really matter if we're late?"

Ladybug finally looked up at him, taking in the vulnerability and uncertainty on his face. They were in uncharted territory and neither was certain which way they should venture. "What did you have in mind?"

Raising a hand to rub his nape, Ladybug was struck by the familiar gesture of her teenage crush. "Would you like to go for a hot chocolate?"

A playful grin swept across Ladybug's lips. "Are you asking me on a date, Chat?"

"I am." A touch of his usual confidence shone through as he stood a little taller.

It was an endearing thing to see, this fragile hope and desperate longing on a handsome man's face. And something which Rena Rouge had been trying to point out all along.

Lacing her fingers through his, Ladybug decided it was time she accept one of Chat Noir's romantic propositions. "Hot chocolate sounds _purrfect_."

* * *

**And there we have it. Some sweet romantic fluffy goodness. **

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